Flyers for roving machines



Jan. 13, 1959 R. RICHTER 2,867,970

FLYERS FOR ROVING MACHINES Filed May 51, 1955 1 2' 5 INVEN-TOR.

fife/ti! United States Patent FLYERS FOR ROVING MACHINES Rudolf Richter, Bad Mergentheim, Germany Application May 31, 1955, Serial No. 512,107

Claims.- (Cl. 57115) This invention relates to improvements in flyers for roving machines and more particularly has to do with an improved roving-guiding surface on the flyer nose or on a cap carried by this nose. It is preferred to form the improved surface on such a cap, rather than on the flyer nose itself, so that this surface may be quickly and inexpensively provided on existing flyers without modification of the noses thereof. This cap may be secured to a flyer nose in any suitable manner, for example, by providing a circular passage through the cap which has a diameter at one end substantially equal to the outside flyer nose diameter so that this end of the cap passage may accommodate the flyer nose.

At the end of the cap passage opposite the end into which the flyer nose may thus extend the cap is flared radially outwardly with respect to the passage axis to provide the rove-guiding surface which is a curved annular surface extending substantially toward the flyer head at its inner side.

In this flared surface are provided a number (preferably eight) of equally spaced separated grooves with well rounded edges. The bottom of eachsuch groove is preferably fiat or gently convexed along the length of the groove and when flat preferably forms with the axis of the passage an angle of approximately 45 These grooved caps can be of metal or plastic formed by a die-casting process or by a process in which the cap material is formed by the application of pressure. One example of the latter kind of process would be forging. If the flared and grooved portions of the cap are to be forged the displaced material may be pushed outward of the cap resulting in projections on the'exterior cap surface whch are most pronounced adjacent the grooves.

It is a feature of the invention that the grooves are disposed in the surface so as to extend radially outward from the passage axis when viewed along said axis.

It is another feature of the invention that the grooves extend into the passage through the cap along the flared surface substantially to the juncture of the latter with the unflared surface of the passage.

It is another feature that the grooves generally increase in depth from their origin at the above referred to juncture toward their outer ends. The edges formed between the side walls of the grooves and the flared surface in which the grooves are formed must be completely free of burrs.

The passage in the cap is preferably slightly tapered inwardly from the end opposite the flared, grooved end to readily receive the flyer nose and fit nicely thereon. Any suitable adhesive material may be employed to firmly secure the cap in place on this flyer nose.

Patented Jan. 13, 1959 ice Because of the softness of the roving usually handled by flyers and the insufficient cohesion of the fibers to each other in such roving, especially where the fibers are short, too little twisting of the roving in that free portion thereof which extends to the flyer nose from the front rollers of the machine frequently results in breaking of the roving in this free portion. In fact breakages occur most often in this location. The reason for this is that the usual smooth surface of the flyer nose on which the roving bears produces no more twist in the free part of the roving than is present in the finished roving as it is subsequently wound on the bobbin by the flyer.

Recognizing that the tensile strength of the roving in the free part is increased by increasing the twist in this part, efforts have been made in the past to provide in the roving between the front rollers and the flyer nose a pre-twist or additional twist which affords the necessary added strength but which is temporary because it does not appear in the finished roving on the bobbin. One such attempt involved the use of slots in a cross pattern on the surface of flyer nose against which the roving bears. To some extent this arrangement increased the twist in the free part of roving, but the disadvantage was that this type of unevenness of the flyer nose caused loose fibers from the roving passing over this surface to be collected in bunches and then picked up by the roving and cause breakage. To prevent the accumulation of such bunches when a pattern of crossed slots is employed such severe rounding of the slot edges is required that the arrangement provides insuflicient increased twist.

Another previous attempt involved the use of a flyer nose or cap therefore having, instead of an axial passage with smooth curved sides, a passage with flat surfaces forming a polygon in radial cross section. By this arrangement the roving extending down into this opening lodges momentarily at each juncture of two flat surfaces, and by virtue of this the twist in the free part of the roving is somewhat increased. The disadvantage of this attempted solution is that a polygon opening which is free of burrs is very diflicult and expensive to produce. Achievement of such a construction has not been possible by the preferred forging process. In addition the amount of increase in twist in the free part of the roving achieved by this construction is not considered satisfactory.

It has been recognized that the provision of an uneven surface against which the roving bears as it enters the flyer nose is the proper approach to solution of the problem, although previous constructions like the two above mentioned are inadequate. In the present invention it is an object to provide such an uneven surface on the flyer nose or on a cap for this nose by the employment of particularly advantageous grooves each of which engages and retains the roving through a portion of flyer rotation before the roving can roll out of that groove and be picked up by the next. These grooves are so formed that roving running along the bottom of them is deflected through an angle which contributes to the retention of the roving in each groove for a proper time, and a satisfactory increase in the twist of the roving between the front rollers and the flyers results. Breakages are reduced to a minimum and will occur only in very bad spots in the roving.

The best modes in which it is contemplated employing the principles of the present invention are shown in 3 i the accompanying drawing, but it will be understood that this is to be considered as merely illustrative for it is intended that the invention shall be covered by suitable expression in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a cross-sectioned side elevation view through a cap in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectioned side elevation view of a fiyer showing the cap of Fig. 1 on the fiyer nose;

Figures 4, 5 and 6 are partial sectional views through caps like that shown in Fig. showing several different groove formations in accordance with invention;

Figure 7 is a perspective of the assembly of Fig. 3; and

Figure 8 is a cross-sectioned side elevation view through a fiyer nose in accordance with the persent invention.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, Figs. 1 to 3 show that one cap attachment 2 in accordance with the present invention is effectively "a short piece of tubing which is pressed onto a fiye'r nose 1. Consequently, a cylindrical passage 3 in the cap 2 fits the outside diameter 4 of this fiyer nose 1. To give the cap a proper fit the passage 3 is made slightly tapered at one end whereby the angle ,a of the taper is the same as the angle of corresponding taper on the fiyer nose.

The upper edge of the cap 2 is flared outward at the other end of the passage, leaving a bulge 6 which is shown most clearly in Figs. 4, 5 and 6. In this bulge are incorporated grooves 7 which may have their bottom portions 8 flat (see Figs. 4 and 5) or gently convexed (see Fig. 6). Where these groove bottom portions are principally flat it is preferred that the angle a they form with the surface of the cylindrical passage be approximately 45. The bottom portions of such grooves which form the same angle -a with the axis of opening 5 are indicated by the dot-dash lines in Figs. 4 and 5. The inner and outer ends of these fiat surface portions are rounded where they approach the cylindrical passage surface and the outside cap surface, respectively.

The grooves 7 effectively form the bulge 6 into a series of steps having curved surfaces 11 at their top portions and having their sides merging with the bottoms of the grooves 7 at rounded corner portions 12. The top edges of the steps must also be rounded and completely without burrs so that no sharp edges are present which could damage the roving. The rounded corner portions 12 are best shown in Fig. 2. The top rounded edges of the steps are preferably curved with substantially the same radius as at 12.

The path of the roving from the front rollers across one side of the cap and down into the cap passage 3 tends to remain fixed inspace. However, rotation of the cap causes the roving passing along a groove 7 to be engaged by the rounded corner portion 12 on one side of such groove. The roving continues this engagement for an appreciable amount of cap rotation until its tendency to remain in the path referred to causes it to roll out of that groove, whereupon it rolls over the adjacent step and into the next groove, and so on. Rolling of the roving up from the rounded corner portions 12 and across the surfaces 11 imparts the desired additional twist.

In all the figures except Fig. 5 a surface is shown in which the grooves 7 have been formed by a forging or jamming process from a piece of tubing. Such a process forces material into litle projections 9 on the outside surface of the tubing. The cap shown in Fig. 5 has that configuration which would result from its formation by a die-casing process and the projections :9 are missing. These projections are no disadvantage in the present invention.

According to Fig. 3 the cap ean be glued to the fiyer y means of m tal o elas c m utit de ire asem'ro 7 For 'th'ebst performance of the invention in the intended manner it is preferred that the grooves 7 extend substantially to the line 10 which is the juncture between the passage 3 and bulge 6.

I claim:

1. An annular surface formation for association with a fiyer nose and adapted to be fixed with respect to said nose to rotate in unison therewith, said surface formation surrounding an opening in said nose when thus associated in operating position and having a portion which is adapted to engage a roving passing into said opening, said surface portion originating a distance inwardly from the outer end of the surface formation and curving progressively more rapidly outward with respect to the longitudinal passage axis to terminate at said outer end of the surface formation, said portion having a plurality of separated equally spaced groove therein around the extent of said surface formation, which grooves extend substantially entirely between the said origination and termination of said'por-tion, each said groove having a bottom of substantial width, having rounded corners at the juncture of the bottom and sides thereof and having rounded edges at the juncture of the sides thereof and said portion.

2. A body for association with one end of a fiyer and adapted to be fixed with respect to said fiyer to rotate in unison therewith, said body having a passage therethrough communicating with an axial opening in said fiyer end, a surface formation on the body surrounding said passage, said surface formation having an annular portion adapted to engage a roving which approaches said opening at a substantial angle to the opening axis and which passes into said opening after said engagement at a lesser angle to the opening axis, said portion bci'ngflared outwardlyof the opening axi from the inner to the outer end of the portion, said portion having equally spaced grooves therein around the extent of the surface formation, 'each groove-originating gradually from a smooth continuous passage surface at the inner end of said portion and extending therefrom to the outer end of said portion radially outward with respect the axis when viewed along said axis, having a bottom of substantial width, and having rounded corners at the juncture of the bottom and sides thereof and rounded edges at the juncture of the sides thereof and said portion.

3. A cap for a fiyer nose comprising a body having a passage therethrough which is adapted at one end to receive the fiyer nose and which is of sufficient size to accommodate a roving passing into an axial opening in the fiyer nose, said passage having at the other end an annular surface portion which originates a distance inwardly from the end of the cap and curves progressively more rapidly outward with respect to the longitudinal passage axis to terminate at said cap end, said surface portion having a plurality of spaced grooves therein which extend substantially 'entirely between the said origination and termination of said portion, each said groove having a bottom of substantial width, having rounded corners at the junctures of the bottom and sides of the groove and having rounded edges at the ljunc'tures of the sides of the groove and said portion.

4. A cap as set forth in claim-3 in which said passage beyond said annular surface portion is substantially cylindrical and has a diameter substantially equal to the outside diameter of the fiyernose, and in which said annular surface portion originates in the cylindrical passage surface.

5. A cap for a fiyer nose comprising a body having a cylindrical passage therethrough which has -a portion at one end of the cap adapted to fit snugly-around an outside surface of the flyernose and'which has a portion at the other cap end flared radially outwardly of the passage axis to form a curved annular ridge surface, said curved ridgesurface merging smoothly with the cylindrical portion of the passage surface on-one-side and extendingto the said other cap end on the other side, said curved ridge surface having a plurality of separated equally spaced radial grooves therein around the extent thereof, each said groove having a floor portion which is of substantial width and which is also flared radially outwardly of the passage axis to form a curved groove floor surface, each said curved groove floor surface originating substantially at the said one side of said curved surface and from said origin curving radially outward of said axis more rapidly than the curved ridge surface, each said curved groove floor surface terminating substantially at the said other side of said curved ridge surface and at said terminal curving radially outward of said axis less rapidly than the curved ridge surface, and the junctures of the sides of said grooves with the groove floor and ridge surfaces being well rounded.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

